1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle accessories. More particularly, the present invention relates to vehicle mirrors. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to a vehicle mirror in combination with a sun visor.
2. Prior Art
Any person acquainted with current day motor vehicles will be aware that virtually every such vehicle on the road today includes a rear view mirror, mounted either to the front windshield or to the roof structure of the vehicle. Most vehicles also include opaque sun visors which may be folded down to block off a portion of the windshield from the rays of the sun. However, there is still generally an exposed area, immediately above and below the rear view mirror, in which no protection by the sun visor is obtainable, and through which a setting or rising sun may shine, causing irritation and glare to a driver of the vehicle. In addition, at times a rising or setting sun, reflecting directly from the rear view mirror into the eyes of a driver, may cause difficulty.
Several patents are known for extensions to the standard opaque sun visor of a vehicle. Summaries of three such patents follow.
Kurvink, U.S. Pat. No. 3,206,244, discloses a sun visor extension which is an elongated, generally rectangular plate or panel of tinted transparent or translucent material. Elastic bands are provided, which pass through holes formed in the panel, for fastening the panel to a standard vehicle sun visor. The panel of Kurvink may generally be extended downwardly from the standard sun visor to provide additional coverage when the sun is lower than the area obtainable by folding the sun visor downwardly without the panel thereon.
Samuelson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,159,421, discloses an automobile sun visor with an auxiliary transparent panel formed as a part of the visor. The auxiliary panel is hingedly attached to the bottom of the standard visor, and may be swung downwardly therefrom to extend the range which is covered by the visor in a manner similar to that of Kurvink.
Janata, U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,855, discloses a translucent glare shield which is a panel attachable to a sun visor to extend the downward or sideways area thereof. The glare shield of Janata uses a plurality of hooks along the edge thereof to attach to a substrate having numerous loops therein which is attached to the standard visor. While the placement of the glare shield of Janata is more adaptable to different conditions then the designs of Kurvink or Samuelson, the shield of Janata is still not placeable above or below the rear view mirror of the vehicle, and cannot be used to protect the eyes of a driver from bright sunlight reflecting in the rear view mirror itself.